NERI Seminar: Funding Models for Water Services Provision
Presentation given by Dr Tom McDonnell at the November NERI seminar. Based on a recent working paper, available here, Dr McDonnell presented findings suggesting that combining a volume based pricing structure with a system of income related water credits may best reconcile the main policy objectives...
NERI Seminar: Assessing Funding Models for Water Services Provision
The Institute hosted its November research seminar in INTO Learning Centre yesterday afternoon. Dr Tom McDonnell presented his recent working paper on funding models for water services provision. Working on the premise of water charges being introduced, the paper recommends combining a volume based...
Thoughts on funding of water services
Next week the NERI will be holding a seminar on the topical issue of water charges (detail are here). In advance of the seminar, this blog provides some thoughts on funding water services in Ireland. Access to clean and affordable water is a human right. Yet there is no such thing as free water. On...
NERI Post Budget Seminar
The October NERI seminar took place yesterday afternoon in the INTO Learning Centre. Michelle Murphy (Social Justice Ireland), Cormac Staunton (TASC) and Michael Taft (UNITE) provided on overview of the impact of the Budget 2015 with a focus on changes to system of income tax and the prospects for...
Income Taxation and Budget 2015
Judged from an income taxation perspective, Budget 2015 was reminiscent of Budgets of ten years ago, or more - maybe a worrying starting point! Cuts to income taxes dominated the announcements, and policy implementation within the Budget. This was at the cost of other priorities, including securing...
Budget 2015 Some Perspectives
External event contribution Some Prespectives on Budget 2015. A presentation to the Economics Society at UCD on Wednesday October 15th 2014.
Overview of Budget 2015
There are some positive elements to the Budget but overall it represents a major missed opportunity. The economics behind Budget 2015 are shaky to say the least. An expansionary budget based on tax cuts for the better off fails the economic best practice test and also fails the equity test. The...
Budget 2015 and Public Investment in Social Housing
There are over 90,000 people on the waiting list for social housing. This level of demand for a basic need required a substantial investment in housing, and, in this regard, Budget 2015 was a significant first step. The headline investment of €2.2 billion over the coming three years to provide 10...
NERI Seminar: Budget 2015
Dr Tom McDonnell's presentation on the impact of some of the main measures contained in Budget 2015
Water charges: affordability and distribution of cost
User based water charges went live on the 1st of October. Consumption charges are regressive, impact disproportionately on low income households and the introduction of user based water charges raises significant affordability issues. The current system of free allowances is expensive, poorly...